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Chun-Li

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For the former member of Morning Musume, see Junjun (singer).
"Chunli" redirects here. For the village in Iran, see Chunli, Iran.
Chun-Li
'Street Fighter' character
File:Chun-Li tatsunoko.png
Chun-Li as she appears in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, illustration by Shinkiro.
First gameStreet Fighter II (1991)

Chun-Li (春麗, also チュン・リー, Chun Rī, simplified Chinese: 春丽; traditional Chinese: 春麗; pinyin: Chūn Lì)[1] is a video game character produced by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II, she has since appeared as a player character in nearly all subsequent games in the series.[2] Chun-Li is notable for being the first female playable character in a fighting game,[2][3] earning her a status of the "first lady of fighting games" among the genre's enthusiasts.[4][5]

In video games

Chun-Li was introduced in 1991 in the original Street Fighter II as the franchise's first female character, an undercover Interpol agent seeking to avenge the death of her father at the hands of M. Bison and his criminal organization. Upon Bison's defeat, she fulfills her revenge and decides to return to her life as an ordinary girl; Super Street Fighter II allows players to choose this ending or another in which she remains a police officer. Street Fighter Alpha prequel series built upon her backstory, while Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike shows her retired and teaching martial arts to young children, only to be forced to return to law enforcement after one of her students is abducted by Urien. Chun-Li returns in Street Fighter IV, where her in-game narrative shows her at crossroads in her life, eventually returning to both street fighting and law enforcement.

In Street Fighter EX, a non-canon spinoff series produced by Street Fighter II creator Akira Nishitani, Chun-Li is a police officer investigating Shadaloo in search of her missing father. She has also made appearances in many other Capcom-produced fighting games, including all titles of the long-running series Marvel vs. Capcom (ever since X-Men vs. Street Fighter, including Shadow Lady, a dark version of Chun-Li that underwent harsh experiments on Bison's orders) and Capcom vs. SNK, and in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars and Street Fighter X Tekken. She and Ryu are the only Street Fighter characters to appear in every Capcom crossover title, including the SNK vs. Capcom fighting game series by SNK and the tactical role-playing games Namco × Capcom and Project X Zone by Namco.[6] Often, Chun-Li is either continuing her existing story from Street Fighter II or seeking to arrest the other characters in the game that she sees as suspicious.

In addition, Chun-Li appears in the versus puzzle games Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, and in the pachinko slot game Chun-Li Ni Makase China!, the first game that featured her in a starring role. She also has cameos in Final Fight 2, Breath of Fire and Mega Man 9, as well as in Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams (an alternate costume for Ohatsu) and in Sony's LittleBigPlanet (a DLC for Sackgirl).[7]

Design

In the Street Fighter II sub-series and most of her later appearances, Chun-Li wears a qipao, an early 20th century Chinese dress.[4] In the first version of Street Fighter II, Chun-Li was originally depicted wearing a red qipao instead of blue.[2] The dress is modified to allow a far wider range of movement than a generic qipao. Her ensemble also includes a pair of white combat boots and brown leggings. She wears her hair in "ox horns",[2] with silk brocades and ribbons in her hair. Another familiar part of her ensemble are the large spiked bracelets she wears on her wrists. In the Street Fighter Alpha games (set during the time period before Street Fighter II), Chun-Li wears a Chinese acrobatic outfit an embroidered vest, a unitard[2] and athletic sneaker shoes, wearing her ox horns unadorned. In Street Fighter IV, Chun-Li's alternate outfit consists of black tabard with gold accents at the bottom, while her ox horns are unadorned, just like in her Alpha appearance, only this time it is held by red ropes with golden balls at the tip. This outfit is completed with red shoes, gold earrings and black and gold bracelets.

Chun-Li is known for her very muscular legs, while depictions of the rest of her body are more variable. In the Street Fighter Alpha games, where she wore a sleeveless, tight outfit, her arms and upper body were visibly much stronger than those of any other female character in the franchise[2], but many artists choose to depict her as petite and slim, in official and unofficial artworks alike, drawing only her legs strong due to her emphasis on kicking moves. Chun-Li was designed with an exceptionally strong physique because she was the sole woman among a roster of powerful male characters in Street Fighter II. To overcome this perceived imbalance, she was devised as a character who had mastered Chinese kenpo and really pushed her body to the limit so that she could compete with such a cast of large and imposing men.[8]

Traits and skills

Chun-Li is presented as a woman with a strong sense of justice, and her motives for fighting crime range from avenging the death of her father to protecting innocents. She especially cares for kids, showing repulse for the use of brainwashed young girls in Street Fighter Alpha 3 or the kidnap of a kid in Street Fighter III: Third Strike. In the latter game she decides she will teach her fighting style and philosophy to kids.[4][9][10]

Chun-Li is an expert martial arts practitioner. She started training in several styles of Chinese Kempo ("Chinese martial arts") at the age of 5, especially Tai Chi Chuan, which she would later complement with Sanda (combat Wushu) and fighting styles from all around the world, such as Tae Kwon Do, Combat Karate and Capoeira.[11]

Related to her police job, she is also a very skilled firearm user, her game profiles stating that she has at least once achieved a 6th place in an international shooting competition.[4] Chun Li has also been noted in-universe for her fluent English, investigating skills, penetrating eyes, beauty and acting talent for deception.[12]

Gameplay

Chun-Li’s gameplay style changes notably from game to game, with Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike marking a strong depart from previous incarnations and featuring a high number of revamped moves.[2] Later games have looked to balance between her Street Fighter II and Third Strike styles. She started as a weak and fast close-range fighter compared to the bigger male characters from Street Fighter II, but she steadily gained an array of different moves through the games[4], such as a projectile attack or an anti-air defensive move, which steered her towards a more balanced type with an emphasis on poking and control of neutral game thanks to a rich set of non-special moves of relatively long range. Her appearances in the Marvel vs. Capcom series are reminiscent of her early gameplay, featuring her as one of the fastest characters in the games, taking advantage of the faster gameplay of the games as well as game mechanics such as multiple jumps and air dashes; her X-Factor power-up in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 features an increment in speed.

Chun Li’s normal moves are balanced among punches and kicks, but most of her special moves are kicks. Her most recognizable special moves remain the Hyakuretsu Kyaku, a series of quick kicks from a one-legged stance (usually referred to as Lightning Legs/Kicks in English), and the Spinning Bird Kick, where she spins while upside down in a front split kicking all around her.

Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Street Fighter Alpha 3 feature Chun-Li's original outfit from Street Fighter II as an alternate version of the character with alternate special abilities and Super Combos.

Other appearances

Film and animation

The 1994 live-action Street Fighter portrayed the character as "Chun-Li Zang", played by Ming-Na. Posing as a television reporter, she seeks to kill M. Bison, a warlord who murdered her father during a peasant uprising. She allies herself with E. Honda and Balrog, whose reputations were ruined by Bison's mafia connections, and later forms an initially uneasy alliance with Ryu and Ken working with Guile to infiltrate Bison's fortress. At the end of the film, she helps Ryu and Ken free Bison's hostages, and in return Guile promises her an exclusive interview.

In the second live-action film, 2006's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Chun-Li was named as "Chun-Li Huang" was played by Kristin Kreuk. She was given the Chinese-American nationality, but retains her goal to avenge her father by killing Bison, a figure in the criminal underworld.[13][13]

Chun-Li is a central character in the 1994 anime film Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. An Interpol agent, she is investigating M. Bison's organization of Shadowlaw, which is suspected of murdering several diplomats. She requests to work with Guile to investigate Bison's organization, but he is initially reluctant, more eager to pursue Bison himself, but later they become inseparable. In a famous instance of fan service, an explicit scene shows Chun-Li showering in her apartment as a Shadaloo assassin, Vega, arrives to kill her. The shower scene has been censored to varying degrees in versions of the English dub.[14] Vega ends up having been kicked through a wall and hurtling several stories to the ground, but Chun-Li succumbs to her injuries and slips into a coma. She remains hospitalized for the rest of the movie, as distraught Guile promises her that he will make Bison pay. Following Bison's defeat, Chun-Li pulls a prank on Guile by making it appear as if she has died while he was away.

Chun-Li is a regular character in the USA Network's animated television series Street Fighter, where she is depicted as a reporter. In the 1997-1998 anime series Street Fighter II V, Chun-Li appears as the spirited tour guide to Ken and Ryu. Her character in this adaptation is a far cry from "the world's strongest woman", since she is mostly a kung-fu student under the guidance of her father, the highest-ranked police chief in Hong Kong. Chun-Li plays a sizable role in the series' finale, when she is brainwashed by Bison. Ken is shown having growing feelings for her, as he takes her on a shopping spree and even buys her an engagement ring in the first part of the series. Chun-Li also appears in the 1999 anime OVA Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, as an Interpol agent who investigates a mad scientist called Sadler who works for Shadaloo. She believes the trail can lead her to her father, who at the time, was missing and presumed alive. She assists Ryu and Ken in finding a kidnapped boy named Shun.

Chun-Li was played by cross-dressing Jackie Chan in the 1993 live-action adaptation of City Hunter during the Street Fighter II spoof scene.[15] In the season 6 (2010) Halloween special of the animated series American Dad, Toshi's older sister Akiko goes trick-or-treating as Chun-Li.[16] Chun-Li made a cameo appearance in the Disney animated film Wreck-It Ralph, alongside fellow Street Fighter characters Zangief, Ryu, Ken, Cammy and M. Bison.[17]

Comics

In the 1990s Street Fighter II manga by Masaomi Kanzaki, Chun-Li remains in her established role of an interpol agent investigating Bison, yet frequently expresses her desire to earn Ryu's praise as a genuine fighter. As the story progresses, Chun-Li participates in a tournament arranged by Shadaloo, eventually coming up against Vega, portrayed here as her father's killer. She defeats him but is so exhausted that she pulls out from the tournament and her injuries prevent her from doing much when Ryu and Bison confront one another, except call off an air strike by Interpol.

Chun-Li also appears in Masahiko Nakahira's 1996-1997 manga Street Fighter: Sakura Ganbaru!, in which she participates in a police raid to an illegal underground fighting circle. Later on, she follows the trails that lead her to an assassin which turns out to be Gen, from whom she suffers an utter defeat. In the manga adaptations of Street Fighter Alpha, Chun-Li is again an agent of the Interpol. She encounters Ryu, who has fallen from grace and had hired himself out as a bodyguard to drug smugglers, and winds up befriending him and Birdie as well as Ken, also rescuing Cammy from being captured by Sodom. Shadaloo is once again responsible for the death of her father, though the exact identity of the killer is not revealed.

In the 1990s, Malibu Comics produced a short-lived series of Street Fighter comics, which featured Chun-Li as a starring character. She is depicted as having known Ryu and Ken since her late teens, as well as having a romantic interest in Ryu. The story primarily focuses not on Chun-Li or Ryu in particular, but rather on the events which follow the murder of Ken Masters. Due to the comic's abrupt end (it was cancelled after three issues), the storyline was never resolved.

When UDON picked up the comic book license for the Street Fighter franchise for American markets, Chun-Li again became a central character, involved in the hunt for Bison and Shadaloo. However, in the comic, the killer of Chun-Li's father is Cammy, prior to her being freed from Bison's control. Chun-Li battles Cammy when they meet face to face for the first time and ultimately forgives Cammy and turns her sights on Bison himself; she later meets Cammy for the second time and formally wins against her. Eventually, she receives an invitation from Shadaloo to enter a tournament being held by Bison. The comic appears to be mixing elements of the various games together and Chun-Li's mode of dress changes several times throughout the UDON comics, from the outfits worn in Street Fighter Alpha to her more traditional qipao from Street Fighter II. In 2008, UDON also released a four-issue special miniseries Street Fighter Legends: Chun-Li, which focuses on a younger Chun-Li and one of her first assignments for the Hong Kong police. In it, Chun-Li is working with her partner Po-lin, a young policewoman who has a very personal score to settle with Shadaloo.

Merchandise

Scores of various Chun-Li figures were produced by various manufacturers.[18] Artworks of her were also featured on an officially licenced animated Nubytech/UDON joypad for the PlayStation 2,[19] and a Mad Catz wireless joypad for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[20]

Reception

Chun-Li has become widely regarded as one of the most popular characters in the series. She was voted number one in Capcom's own 2002 poll of top 85 characters for the 15th anniversary of Street Fighter.[21] She was ranked third in IGN's 2009 list of top Street Fighter characters, noting that while sexism is factored into her initial design, she has "come a long way over the years. She's by far the most popular female fighting game character out there, and if you try to start naming off better-known women in videogaming period, you're going to wind up with a pretty short list."[22] GameDaily ranked her as number one on their 2009 list of top Street Fighter characters of all time, praising her character evolution and for balanced gameplay.[23] The same site ranked her as second in their 2008 list of top Capcom characters of all time and as the favorite character from the Street Fighter series.[24] UGO Networks ranked her as third on their 2010 list of top Street Fighter characters, adding that as the first female fighting game character, Chun-Li "was one of few female characters in the early 90s not cast in a role of damsel in distress, but instead showed that female characters could fight just as same as their male counterparts."[25] She is also a popular subject of cosplay.[26] Her return in Street Fighter III: Third Strike has been called as the main and best addition to the game IGN and GamePro.[27][28] Nevertheless, she has been noted to be one of the most overpowered characters from the game alongside Ken and Yun.[29][30]

Chun-Li is also often appearing in the top list type articles for the fighting game genre, all video games, and in even fiction in general. She was awarded the title of the "Hottest Babe of 1992" by Electronic Gaming Monthly, tying with Blaze from Streets of Rage.[31] Chun-Li's cameo in the role-playing game Breath of Fire was included in Expert Gamer's 1998 list of the 50 greatest video game secrets.[32] Spike featured her in their 2008's contest "Top 10 Video Game Vixens" at number four, citing a preference for her muscular thighs.[33] In Game Informer's 2009 list of top ten best fighting game characters Chun-Li was seventh.[34] UGO placed her as ninth on their list of top "videogame hotties", stating "Chun-Li's female presence and early dominance of the fighting game genre propelled her into the minds of many early fanboys."[35] In addition, UGO ranked her as number one on their 2011 list of fighting games' finest female fighters, stating "For the record: There's nothing wrong with Chun-Li's thighs, and they are definitely not 'too big',"[36] also including her in their list of "hottest fictional women of 2012".[5] In 2009, she was included in Manolith's list of the 25 "hottest" video game female protagonists, with a comment that "Chun Li is possibly the most absolutely loved and best remembered of all characters from the fighting game that birthed all other fighting games."[37] In 2010, CraveOnline listed her as one of top ten "hottest girls in gaming", stating "For millions of early-generation gamers, Capcom's arcade release of Street Fighter II was the very first real taste of a video-game crush."[38] Similarly, Videogamer.com included her in the 2010 list of top ten "video game crushes", noting that gamers have loved her since 1992.[39] Mania Entertainment put her second in 2010s list of "video game women that kick ass".[40] In 2011, Complex ranked her naked appearance in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie as seventh on the list of the "hottest cartoon women" of all time.[41] In 2012, Complex ranked her as the ninth "most dominant" fighting game character, adding that "Chun-Li and her infamous thighs are instantly recognizable."[42] Complex also pitted her against Mai Shiranui in the "battle of the beauties" feature, commenting "Breasts or legs? (...) Personally, we'll take 'em both."[43] In 2012, Complex ranked her as the second best Asian character in video games, commenting, "Easily one of the most recognizable characters in video games as a whole, Chun Li seems to pop up in every list you can think of."[44] That same year, GamesRadar ranked this "first lady of fighters (as in, literally the first one ever)" as the 85th "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games, calling her "as one of the most recognizable heroines in gaming" praising her for "her combat prowess and positive attitude" and also for "her muscular thunder thighs."[45] Also in 2012, MSN included her among the 20 "hottest women in video game history".[46]

References

  1. ^ "In Mandarin, the name of Capcom's leggy femme fatale is 春麗. Chūn (春) meaning 'spring', and lì (麗) meaning 'beautiful'. In other words, Chun-li is a young girl filled with the beauty of spring". See Ben Reeves, "HELLO my name is: Exploring the Meaning of Your Favorite Character's Name", Game Informer 203 (March 2010): 25.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Street Fighter Week: The Evolution of Chun-Li and Blanka. gamesradar.com. Retrieved on 2008-4-1.
  3. ^ Chun-Li Biography. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-4-1.
  4. ^ a b c d e Ritchie Bains. Retro Junk. Retrieved on 2008-4-1.
  5. ^ a b Chun-Li - The 99 Hottest Fictional Women Of 2012 - UGO.com
  6. ^ "Project X Zone Preview". The Magic Box. 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
  7. ^ Acevedo, Jay (2008-12-12). Weekly Playstation Store Update - December 12. Game Focus. Retrieved on 2008-12-18
  8. ^ Daigo Ikeno, “Capcom art director Daigo Ikeno discusses SF4's new visual style.”, 1UP.com, 2007-12-24
  9. ^ Chun-Li’s ending, Street Fighter II, VGMuseum.
  10. ^ Chun-Li’s ending, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, VGMuseum.
  11. ^ ALL ABOUT Series Vol. 14: ALL ABOUT Street Fighter ZERO 2. ISBN # 4-900700-23-1 Pag.27. Publisher Denpa Shinbunsha. Release Date 6-30-1996
  12. ^ ALL ABOUT Series Vol. 21: ALL ABOUT Street Fighter ZERO 3. ISBN # 4-88554-495-5. Pag.79. Publisher Studio Bent Stuff. Release Date 11-30-1998
  13. ^ a b John Gaudiosi (2006-11-01). "Exclusive: Capcom Talks New Street Fighter Movie". GameDaily BIZ. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  14. ^ Noah Davis. Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994). PopMatters. Retrieved on 2008-4-8.
  15. ^ Jackie Chan as Chun-Li, E. Honda in Street Fighter II spoof | Joystiq
  16. ^ Chun Li kicks off in American Dad
  17. ^ Dexter Rodrigo Matilla, 'Wreck-It Ralph' image shows Chun-Li, Zangief, philstar.com, June 08, 2012
  18. ^ Databases › Search - MyFigureCollection.net (Tsuki-board.net)
  19. ^ by Nubytech. "Street Fighter 2 Controller: Chun Li (PS2): Amazon.co.uk: PC & Video Games". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
  20. ^ by Madcatz. "Mad Catz PS3 Wireless Street Fighter IV FightPad - Chun-Li (PS3): Amazon.co.uk: PC & Video Games". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
  21. ^ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 2005-12-19. Retrieved 2011-09-29. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  22. ^ Top 25 Street Fighter Characters - The Final Five. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-08-15
  23. ^ Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time. GameDaily. Retrieved on 2008-11-13 [dead link]
  24. ^ Workman, Robert (2008-09-26). "Top 25 Capcom Characters of All Time". Game Daily. Retrieved 2009-10-23. [dead link]
  25. ^ Furfari, Paul (2010-08-25). "Top 50 Street Fighter Characters". UGO.com. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
  26. ^ 34 Chun-Li Cosplay Pics (Only ladies this time) | GameFront
  27. ^ Watt, Kilo (October 05, 2000). "Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2009-03-04. Retrieved September 7, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "New Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Screens And Characters". IGN. April 28, 2000. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  29. ^ "SFIII: Third Strike Review". GameSpot. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  30. ^ King, Ryan. "Self-Indulgent SFIII: 3rd Strike Online Post". Play. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  31. ^ "Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide". 1993. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  32. ^ The 50 Greatest Video Game Secrets: SNES secrets 2 (GameSpot)
  33. ^ Staff (2008-11-10). Top 10 Video Game Vixens. Spike. Retrieved on 2008-12-14
  34. ^ "Top Ten Best Fighting Game Characters". Game Informer. GameStop Corporation. August 2009. ISSN 1067-6392.
  35. ^ Top 50 Videogame Hotties. UGO.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-14
  36. ^ Sitterson, Aubrey (2011-01-14). "Fighting Games' Hottest Women - Chun-Li". UGO.com. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
  37. ^ 25 Hottest Female Video Game Protagonists | Manolith
  38. ^ The Hottest Girls in Gaming | CraveOnline
  39. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (March 30, 2010). "Top 10 Video Game Crushes". Videogamer.com. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  40. ^ Lawrence, Briana (January 4, 2010). "13 Video Game Women That Kick Ass". Mania Entertainment. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
  41. ^ The 25 Hottest Cartoon Women Of All Time, Complex.com, Jan. 28, 2011
  42. ^ Elton Jones, The 50 Most Dominant Fighting Game Characters, Complex.com, May 17, 2012
  43. ^ Rich Knight, Battle of the Beauties: Gaming's Hottest Female Characters Face Off, Complex.com, November 9, 2011
  44. ^ Larry Hester, The 10 Best Asian Characters In Video Games, Complex.com July 3, 2012
  45. ^ 100 best heroes in video games, GamesRadar, October 19, 2012
  46. ^ The hottest women in video game history, MSN, 21 September 2012

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